January 11, 2010

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This waking dream we call the Internet also blurs the difference between my serious thoughts and my playful thoughts, or to put it more simply: I no longer can tell when I am working and when I am playing online. For some people the disintegration between these two realms marks all that is wrong with the Internet: It is the high-priced waster of time. It breeds trifles. On the contrary, I cherish a good wasting of time as a necessary precondition for creativity, but more importantly I believe the conflation of play and work, of thinking hard and thinking playfully, is one the greatest things the Internet has done.

An Intermedia with 2 Billion Screens Peering Into It - Kevin Kelly - World Question Center 2009

Man on Wire

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Man on Wire. Fantastic movie. Wow. I’m glad the participants had to the foresight to document while they prepared. One thing I love about achievements like this is seeing that they really are projects, a dream-made-real that took years of work and preparation. A one-off, maybe, but not simply a lucky break. Props to Kottke for sharing it.

The relative relativity of material and experiential purchases

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Do more, buy less…

We found that participants were less satisfied with their material purchases because they were more likely to ruminate about unchosen options (Study 1); that participants tended to maximize when selecting material goods and satisfice when selecting experiences (Study 2); that participants examined unchosen material purchases more than unchosen experiential purchases (Study 3); and that, relative to experiences, participants’ satisfaction with their material possessions was undermined more by comparisons to other available options (Studies 4 and 5A), to the same option at a different price (Studies 5B and 6), and to the purchases of other individuals (Study 5C). Our results suggest that experiential purchase decisions are easier to make and more conducive to well-being.

More here [pdf]. (via)
The relative relativity of material and experiential purchases

Tulpan

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Tulpan. I liked it. I appreciate patient film-making. Lots of long takes, some room to breathe. It doesn’t take you by the hand and carry you along, but it sticks with you afterward.

Volver

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Volver. I’m willing to see a few more from Almodóvar. I probably would have loved this one with a few tweaks. Great actresses, but I was hoping for less explanatory dialogue and for more of the dark humor that shows up here and there. Nice to see supernatural fantasy elements taken in stride. Ebert says.